Since the annual Inter Bee (International Broadcast Equipment Exhibition) is taking place in Sony’s home country, it’s time to catch up with the company and chat about their latest developments. How about X-OCN – their new compressed raw codec – announced half a year ago, for example?
Sony’s X-OCN Codec
It’s been a while since its initial announcement, but the newly developed X-OCN codec by Sony seems to be very promising. The first and only application for this codec for the time being is with the so-called AXS-R7 recorder module, which is designed especially for the Sony PMW-F5 and F55 range of cine cameras. You can read all about this recorder in this article.
As a tiny refresher, X-OCN stands for eXtended tonal range Original Camera Negative, and if you’re thinking of RED’s signature compressed RAW workflow called REDcode, it’s actually not that far off. X-OCN offers 16-bit of latitude straight from the sensor but it’s capable of outputting significantly smaller filesizes than pure RAW footage.
The Sony F5 camera with an AXS-R7 recorder attached. For now this is the only way to record X-OCN.
As time went by, news about X-OCN quickly became quiet. Blackmagic announced DaVinci Resolve support for this new codec, but other than that, nothing.
At this years Inter BEE – taking place in Chiba City, Japan – our very own Johnnie Behiri took the opportunity to talk with Sony’s Yutaka Okahashi about this promising codec and its possible future applications.
X-OCN in Mirrorless Cameras?
Since X-OCN is a high-end codec, it seemed unlikely to see this technologly implemented in Sony camera models further downstream, such as their popular mirrorless lines of cameras. Anyone interested in a Sony A7s II with compressed RAW recording? Well, Mr. Okahashi mentions exactly that… after a little push from Johnnie. But it seems it could be possible to implement such high-end technology in the somewhat lower end cameras (from a F5 perspective) in the future. For now, though, these models live in a X-AVC universe. This codec comes in different flavours, caters 4K as well as HD and is widely implemented in NLEs. But it is a compressed format, far off from RAW.
If we think of the $7,000 Sony AXS-R7 recorder as a proof of concept, maybe things will get interesting in the not too distant future. What about forgetting compressed formats altogether and going all in, with the full sensor latitude in a pocket-sized camera? Now that sounds like a bright future, indeed. Let’s hope that Sony is listening.
As Johnnie puts it:
The rule is very simple. If you don’t make it, somebody else will make it.”
What do you think about his type of codec? Does it seem promising to you or are you happy with the current compressed formats available in mirrorless cameras? Let us know in the comments below.

The Fujifilm X-T2 mirrorless camera is quickly becoming a candidate as the new gold standard in affordable 4K video. But will it be replacing the famous Sony a7S II as the best mirrorless video camera for cinematic shooting?
Fujifilm X-T2 – Best Mirrorless Video Quality?
Video shooters live in good times. Every few months, a new video shooting mirrorless camera rocks the market and gives us better cinema-like quality and features. Last year, the Sony a7S II quickly became the best mirrorless video camera you could get, with a nice 4K image, numerous useful video features and impressive lowlight performance.
Just two weeks ago, the Panasonic GH5 was announced and raised the bar once more with its specs, offering internal 4:2:2 10bit in 4K, though this camera will only see the light of day in 2017. For now, the Fujifilm X-T2 has landed on our desk and stands a serious contender against the Sony a7s II as the new gold standard. Let’s take a look.
We recently tested the Fujifilm X-T2 in a documentary style situation (check out our review). Few people expected that this camera would be quite so interesting for both photographers as well as video shooters. This is only Fujifilm’s first attempt at implementing 4K video into one of their mirrorless cameras, yet they got a lot of things right, and even since our review some new features have been implemented via a firmware update: Now you can get extended dynamic range (H-2, S-2) when recording internally.
Comparison: Fujifilm X-T2 vs. Sony a7S II
Both the Fujfilm X-T2 as well as the Sony a7S II are designed as mirror-less cameras in a photo body. The Fujifilm X-T2 has the Fuji X-Mount and houses an APS-C sized sensor. The Sony a7S II has the Sony E-mount and houses a full-frame sensor. There are fans for both sensor sizes, but in terms of the lens-mount, there are only a few adapters for Fuji right now, while there are many options for Sony E. This could change in the future, if user interest for Fuji X-Mount adapters rises.
In our cinema5D Test Lab we have tested and compared many cameras. In this review we will take a closer look at how the Fujifilm X-T2 sensor performs in comparison to the one in the Sony a7S II.
Fujifilm X-T2:
Max Resolution: 4K UHD
Max Framerate 4K: 29.97fps
Max Framerate HD: 59.94
Log Gamma: F Log
Sensor: Aps-C
Mount: Fuji X
Codec Bitrate 4K: 105mbit
Price: About $1600
Sony a7S II:
Max Resolution: 4K UHD
Max Framerate 4K: 29.97fps
Max Framerate HD: 120fps
Log Gamma: Slog2 & Slog3
Sensor: Full-Frame
Mount: Sony E
Codec Bitrate: 95mbit
Price: About $3000
Use the Fujifilm X-T2 with “F Log”
The Fujifilm X-T2 has some unique properties, most notably “F Log”, Fujifilm’s very own log gamma setting that creates the most neutral and natural image with the highest dynamic range. Unlike the Sony a7S II which records Slog 2 (or Slog 3) internally, Fujifilm has restricted F Log to external recorders.
Why did Fujifilm decide to do that? We actually talked to Jun Watanabe from Fujifilm about this recently, and it seems that they are open to implementing internal F Log should user interest be there (see the whole interview here).
Considering that the Fujifilm X-T2 comes at half the price of the Sony a7S II, and how beautiful the X-T2 image is (more on that later), it’s still quite a valid option to connect a $1300 external recorder (eg: Atomos Ninja Flame) to it, in order to get that nice 4:2:2 8bit F Log image in 4K.
The Fujifilm XT-2 has a micro hdmi connection to output F Log in 4K to external recorders.
Back at the editing desk you will notice that the XT-2 has the same problems when it comes to external recording as the Sony a7S II in Slog2 gamma. In practice, this means you will lose 1 stop of dynamic range unless you find a way to turn those video levels into their proper values. This can be done with our Slog FIX LUT either during recording or in post with no quality loss (Get it here).
Flip out lcd monitor on the Fujifilm XT-2
If you use this camera for internal recording only, the X-T2 also offers some very nice film simulations (picture profiles) and still has very good image quality. But if you are dependent on a Log gamma for your post workflow, you will need an external recorder. We hope Fujfilm will include internal F Log in a future firmware update.
Dynamic Range
A good dynamic range rating allows us to capture a larger range of shadows and highlights in high-contrast scenes. An important property when it comes to evaluating the best mirrorless video camera. We’re testing with a DSC labs XYLA-21 transmissive test chart. For this review we used the Fujifilm 56mm F/1.2 lens instead of the Zeiss 50mm Cp2 macro (more on how we test HERE).
Our software measured about 12 stops of usable dynamic range on the Fujifilm X-T2. This is very similar to the rating of the Sony a7S II and Canon C300 mark II. Here’s a screenshot of the dynamic range of a few popular cameras compared.
Usable Dynamic Range (SNR 1/0.5) – Blacks adjusted in the chart above for your convenience.
12 stops is very a good rating for a cinema camera. Many videographers today praise the Canon C300 mark II for its dynamic range qualities and when we take a closer look, the Fujifilm X-T2 isn’t far behind. High end cinematic productions still use the Arri ALEXA, as it outperforms all other cameras we have tested with its 14 stops of usable range.
Image Quality
This is where the Fujifilm X-T2 blows away most other cameras we have tested. The image of the X-T2 is very homogenous, clean and has a high resolution that dissolves lots of detail with a nice filmic grain.
In the shot below you can see that the Fujfilm XT-2 offers slightly more detail than the Sony a7S II and seems to have better aliasing properties than both the Canon C300 mark II and Panasonic VariCam 35:
Image resolution. 100% crops from 4K images
In the star graphic above, the a7S II and X-T2 look very similar. However, when you compare the image detail of other shots of the X-T2 vs a7S II (see below), you quickly see that the Fujifilm X-T2 always produces cleaner and more accurate shots:
Image detail. 100% crops from 4K images
In practice, of course most users will downscale their images to HD, and for this purpose all mentioned cameras perform admirably. Still, the kind of quality you get out of the Fujfilm X-T2 is impressive and leaves even our beloved Sony a7SII behind. This is also true for internal recordings and certainly makes the XT-2 one of the best mirrorless video camera when it comes to image quality in 4K. The only comparable camera in this field is the wonderful Sony a6300 (see our test here). the a6300 however has strong weaknesses in other areas.
Despite the lack of internal F Log, as mentioned earlier, the Fujifilm X-T2 comes with a variety of film simulating picture profiles in-camera. This is a very nice feature that we haven’t seen on any other camera yet. Others do offer “video picture profiles”, but none of them simulate filmic colors and contrast. Here are two different film simulations, recorded internally (105mbit H.264):
Fujifilm X-T2 colors. 100% crops from 4K images
As you can see image quality is just as impressive for internal recordings as it is when recording external 4K with an Atomos Ninja Assasin, like we did, or any other external 4K recorder.
And HD Quality?
Image quality in HD is not as impressive as in 4K mode. It is comparable to the Sony a7S II, but unfortunately there is also a lot of aliasing which creates lots of moire artefacts in contrasty image areas. The Sony a7S II performs better there and also offers 120fps, while the X-T2 only reaches 60fps. Below is a shot of the star chart and sieve comparing HD on both cameras:
100% crops of HD image
Best Settings for Video on the Fujifilm X-T2
Fujifilm X-T2 Settings Menu Accessible via the “Q” button.
Sharpness
Sharpness should always be set to -4. Otherwise artificial sharpening is added in-camera and gives you a video-ish look. If needed, you can also add sharpness in post.
H-Tone and S-Tone
These two settings add a smooth highlight and shadow rolloff and increase the dynamic range of your image when set to -2 and -2. This was recently enabled via a new firmware update.
Film Simulation
There are several film simulation settings available for in-camera looks. Try them. We liked their “Ns” setting best.
All other settings (besides “white balance” which you set as needed) should be left untouched for best results. You should always shoot in 4K and downsample as needed later on, to get the best results.
Rolling Shutter
The Sony a7S II suffered from severe rolling shutter effect, a phenomenon also referred to as “jello”. Unfortunately, the rolling shutter that we see on most CMOS sensor video cameras is also present on the Fujifilm X-T2, but in comparison it is less pronounced than on the a7S II.
Lowlight
The Sony a7S II is an absolute miracle when it comes to lowlight performance. In comparison, the Fujifilm can’t reach the same high ISO’s but holds up well until ISO 3200, which is not bad in comparison to other mirrorless video cameras. Unfortunately, beyond that the X-T2 should be used with caution, because there is heavy and visible noise reduction going on that does not even look nice when downsampled to HD. We wish it could be disabled.
The following shot compares the Fujifilm X-T2 in F Log (ISO 800) and Sony a7S II in Slog 2 (ISO 1600) at both their base ISO’s and then at higher ISO’s.
100% crop from 4K image
The a7S II retains image detail much better up until high ISO’s. This is especially visible in motion.
Conclusion
If you thought the Fujifilm X-T2 is just another ordinary attempt by a stills manufacturer to implement video as an additional selling point, then you were wrong. This small mirrorless camera shows us how image detail and an organic in-camera look is supposed to be executed and in our opinion brings it into the class of best mirrorless video cameras.
The 4K (UHD) image from the Fujfilm X-T2 is nicer and cleaner than that of the Sony a7S II, and outperforms our favourite low cost 4K camera in the rolling shutter test while achieving the same dynamic range rating of 12 usable stops.
When it comes to HD quality and frame rates, internal log recording and lowlight, the Sony a7S II still has the upper hand. Considering the availability of E-mount adapters for Sony, available accessories (like the Sony XLR-K2M audio module) and the compatibility of the Slog 2 gamma, the a7S II currently remains our camera of choice and holds the position of best mirrorless video camera.
For those interested in the built-in film simulation, outstanding stills camera performance and superb image quality at half the price of the a7S II, the Fujfilm X-T2 should be a clear winner.
Whichever you choose, both are outstanding cameras that leave most competition behind. Only the Sony a6300 is another camera you should look at if the budget is tight (see our a6300 review here).
We hope this review helped you. Please consider getting your gear from one of our recommended retailers and let us know your thoughts in the comments.

Following the success of the CAME-TV Single and Optimus, this new handheld gimbal by Tilta builds on the one-handed design for medium weight cameras like the Sony a7s II or Panasonic GH4.
Designed for single operation, the new Tilta Gravity G1 has the typical modes of operation “follow” and “lock”, with the latter named “chicken head mode”. With the new 360° motors incorporated in this handheld gimbal, the Gravity G1 has no end points and can rotate indefinitely.
Comparable gimbals currently on the market include the CAME-TV Optimus and ikan Beholder EC1.
The Tilta Gravity G1 will be $900 and should become available in the next months. It is only available for pre-order at CVP Europe right now.

I took the ZEISS Batis 2.8/18, 2/25 and Loxia 2.8/21 for a spin on the Freefly MøVi M5 with the Sony a7SII, filming the same dancer in the same environment several times in order to compare the characteristics of the lenses and how they perform under bright light sources and during movement.
photos by Fabian Chaundy
Balancing gimbals, and size of wide angle lenses
Since the MøVi came out a few years ago, I have used my M10 and M5’s on a lot of different productions. Like with all moving camera setups, wide angle lenses on gimbals emphasise movement more than long lenses do. Because of versatility and the ability to move more fluently, I have moved into using the small cameras like the Sony a7S and later the a7SII on the MøVi M5 rig, for example on this music video production on which I also already reviewed the 25mm version of the Batis lens series.
Balancing a gimbal is tricky business, and heavily depends on how evenly the weight is distributed. With many traditional wide angle lenses being quite heavy and with a large front diameter, you have to use risers like baseplates and also move the entire setup quite far back, which makes balancing much more difficult. There’s only so much you can move a camera back on a gimbal like the MøVi or Ronin before you hit the back motor.
Batis 2/25 on Sony a7SII on MøVi M5
Wide-angle Batis lenses
This is one of the reasons why gimbal operators like me have been impatiently waiting for lighter and more compact wide angles for a long time. The Batis 2/25 was a step in the right direction, and considering this is a full frame 35mm lens, it is quite wide indeed. However, sometimes it is still not wide enough.
Zeiss recently released the 18mm Batis version. At f/2.8, it is one stop slower than the 25mm version, but it’s a compromise I am willing to accept due to the fact that they were able to keep the measurements very very similar; only the front diameter was increased to 77mm, which is a very common diameter.
Autofocus on Batis
The Batis line is predominantly made for photographers because, as I mentioned in last year’s review, the lenses feature the focus-by-wire feature which makes repetitive manual focusing extremely hard. However, with autofocus in video becoming better and better, and particularly when working on a gimbal without a remote follow focus puller, that very autofocus feature is indeed worth taking a close look at. In this current test, the autofocus of both the 18mm and the 25mm Batis lenses performed remarkably well on the Sony a7SII. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a Sony a7RII in-house for this test, because this camera performs MUCH better using autofocus. The a7SII isn’t bad at it, just very slow, which means that fast movements don’t always give the right focus immediately. However, with infinity focus kicking in from 2 or 3 meters with most of these wide angle lenses, it’s not that noticeable. Watch out for my friend Philip Bloom’s upcoming autofocus test of various cameras – the Canon 1DX2 was the overall winner on that, but the Sony a7RII came in at a close second.
Loxia 2.8/21
Zeiss’s Loxia line is E-Mount-native just like the Batis line, but it serves a different market. The Loxia lenses are extremely small and make the Sony a7 series camera look like a Leica Rangefinder camera when attached. They are fully manual with manual aperture and focus rings, and there are no autofocus functions whatsoever. They are all very similar in size, with minor differences in length. I am honestly quite amazed that they managed to get a 21mm lens into such a small form factor. At f/2.8 just like the Batis 18mm, this is a stop slower than the Batis 2/25. Again, a compromise worth taking.
Look comparison: Zeiss Batis and Loxia 18mm, 21mm and 25mm
I though it would be a good idea to compare these lenses, as they are very similar in focal length – 18mm, 21mm and 25mm are close enough to all be used on a gimbal for your everyday shoots, on a full-frame 35mm sensor like the a7SII’s imager. It’s very rare that we get to compare characteristics of lenses and in order to avoid a lot of distraction, I asked Brazilian dancer Rubens Oliveira to help us out. He was visiting Vienna as part of the Impulstanz dancing weeks (thanks to a sponsorship by Red Bull Amaphiko – here on Facebook), and we shot at GUXTU studio in Vienna thanks to Bernhard Klaffensteiner, with a very blank white background.
Side-by-side comparison of the Batis 2.8/18, Batis 2/25 and Loxia 2.8/21
This is a very subjective (and non-scientific) lens test, but here are my impressions about the different looks between the Batis and Loxia line of lenses:
The Batis has a softer look with more graduated whites and a more graduated diffusion in both shadows and highlights. It appears less “sharp”, but probably due to it being just much less contrasty than the Loxia 2.8/21.
The higher contrast in the Loxia makes shadows appear deeper and whites brighter, which is quite interesting considering we shot in an S-Log 2 picture profile, which out of the camera appears quite “milky” anyway. If you look at the edges of the frame, the Loxia definitely has more vignetting and geometric distortion, which is certainly due to the smaller build – getting such a wide angle lens in such a tiny package certainly comes with some compromises. A very obvious difference is the lack of autofocus with the Loxia, which means that I had to set the focus to a fixed 2+ meter distance, which is already the infinity focus with the 21mm Loxia. You can see that Rubens is out of focus on some of the close ups in the Loxia portion of the video.
Overall, I am surprised how well all of the lenses performed in general, and especially how easy it was to rebalance the MøVi M5 after changing lenses. Bigger lenses can take a VERY long time to balance, but these are all so light and small that they make balancing a breeze, with the Batis line being exceptionally lightweight.
However, autofocus is almost a must when you are operating alone. This is why from now on, the Batis 2/25 will probably be my new favourite gimbal lens and will be with me on every shoot.
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photos by Fabian Chaundy

External recordings on Sony a7 series cameras are awesome for several reasons, but unfortunately the image is crushed and there can be a loss in dynamic range when recording externally via HDMI. The famous Slog problem cuts off blacks and highlights and gives you a wrong Slog 2 or Slog 3 image. But we’ve developed an extremely easy fix.
This LUT can be applied either during external recordings or even in post and give you back the full dynamic range of a true Slog image.
The Slog Problem Explained
Back in March, I wrote a scientific article on the crushed blacks phenomenon concerning the Sony a7S, Sony a7S II, Sony a7R II and Sony a6300 cameras. Basically, the contrast information is saved incorrectly on external recordings via HDMI, thus defeating the whole purpose of a standardized Slog Gamma.
This phenomenon has been the main reason why some people have avoided using external recorders with these cameras. There is a fix that involves either DaVinci Resolve or level filters in Premiere that I described here, but these can impact your rendering time considerably.
[Important UPDATE:] You do not need this on the Convergent Design Odyssey Recorder as their latest firmware provides a fix in the form of a “Legalize HDMI” function you will find in the INPUTS menu.
[UPDATE:] The Slog Fix LUT also fixes external recordings in F Log from the Fujifilm X-T2. There is a recovery of about 1 stop of dynamic range in the highlights.
The C5D Slog Fix
Here is better way to fix the Slog Problem at any stage of your workflow, and it’s the fastest we have found in the form of our very first official C5D LUT. Essentially, it recovers any Slog 2 or Slog 3 files recorded externally, and gives you back a true Slog image with the cameras full dynamic range.
On top of that, this LUT gives you the unique possibility to burn the correct Gamma right into your external recordings. By loading this LUT onto an external recorder like the Atomos Shogun, you can fix the Slog problem during recording, work with a correct file from the start, and save the additional rendering time otherwise needed in post production.
This Slog Issue is especially problematic in Slog 2 Gamma, as it kills some of the highlights and thus reduces the dynamic range of the image where it matters (highlight rolloff in critical shots):
100% crop of 4K image (Slog 2 Gamma)
This is how the Slog affects the dark areas of the image and how the Slog Fix recovers the correct Gamma:
100% crop of 4K image (Slog 2 Gamma)
In our tests, an external recording with the C5D Slog Fix LUT on an Atomos Shogun was virtually identical to a file otherwise transcoded in DaVinci Resolve by changing the Video Levels manually (See more sample images below)
Note: We cannot be held responsible for wrong use of the LUT. Please test this yourself before implementing into your own workflow.
We decided not to give away the C5D Slog Fix LUT for free, but if you buy us a cup of coffee it’s yours to use in your projects. We’ll also be happy for a higher contribution if you feel this fix helped you in your work.
DOWNLOAD IT HERE
[UPDATE:] As cinema5D reader Corey Robson pointed out, there is an alternative method on the Atomos Shogun, that gets you half way to the goal: The Shogun offers a “5D MkIII” Color Corrector option in the “Source” window. While I do not know the science of it, the tests showed that it recovers some of the highlights, but not the true Slog Gamma. If you’re working semi professionally it should be “good enough”, as the highlights are most important. For those who want to use a second LUT as a preview on the Shogun, I would recommend this method instead of the C5D LUT, or alternatively the C5D LUT can be used in post for a 100% accurate result.
Sample Images
Sony a7S – Slog 2 – Internal H.264
Sony a7S – Slog 2 – External – unfixed
Sony a7S – Slog 2 – External Fixed with Slog FIX LUT in post
Sony a7S – Slog 2 – External – Fixed with Slog FIX LUT burned in, on the recorder
FAQ
Do I need this if I don’t use Slog 2 or Slog 3 Gamma?
No. The Slog Problem is only present in external recordings with Slog 2 and 3 Gammas via HDMI.
What about external recordings via SDI?
External recordings via SDI are not affected. Please don’t use the Slog Fix on those.
Will this work even on files that have already been recorded?
Yes. You can use this on files you have recorded with an external recorder in the past. The files were only saved with the wrong metadata and the information can be pulled back with the help of our LUT or the workarounds described here.
Who is it for?
For people who want to retain the original Slog 2 or Slog 3 Gamma in order to grade accurately, match cameras or use pre defined LUTs. If you apply LUTs meant for Slog 2 or 3, you will not get the correct results without fixing your files first.
Do I need this on the Sony FS7 or FS5?
If you’re using an external HDMI recording you will also need this on a Sony FS7 and Sony FS5. If you’re using SDI as an output interface you will not require the fix.
Will I lose color information or quality when I use the LUT on a recorder (burned in)?
No. According to our tests the results are the same as if you would apply the fix in post. Note that in general there is a slight variance between externally recorded colors in comparison to internally recorded H.264 files on Sony cameras. We think the external recordings with our LUT look more color accurate. Download the sample images above to compare them and see the nuances. Make sure you use this workflow properly before burning the LUT into your recorded files.
How do I use this on an Atomos Shogun?
1. To use the C5D SlogFix for monitoring purposes:
Copy the C5D-SlogFix.cube file to the root folder of your Atomos Shogun Media (An SSD or harddisk)
Tap the yellow “…” icon at the bottom right hand side of the screen
Tap on one of the 8 LUT slots (preferably an empty one)
Tap on the folder icon
In the new window that opens tap the “C5D-SlogFix.cube” file twice. This will load the LUT onto your Atomos Shogun recorder
To monitor tap the LUT slot now associated with the C5D-SlogFix and tap the monitoring icon on the top right hand side to switch monitoring on or off
The C5D-SlogFix.cube file can be deleted from the media
2. To burn C5D SlogFix into your file (RECOMMENDED for a faster grading workflow):
Follow the monitoring setup of 1
After your camera is connected, tap the “hdmi” icon in the top left hand corner
In the window that opens, under the section “RECORD 4KUHDp…” tap on “3D LUT: Off”, so that it shows “3D LUT: On”
There should be a red, flashing icon in the top right hand corner that says “MON LUT”
Make sure the C5D-SlogFix LUT is selected in the yellow “…” menu
Download
Click the image below to get the C5D LUT Slog Fix:

Metabones has released an update to its EF-E Smart Adapter MARK IV and EF-E Speed Booster ULTRA, vastly improving auto focus, smoother aperture adjustments and enabling continuous auto focus on compatible Sony Alpha cameras.
Many Canon-turned-Sony users will have become accustomed to the compatibility quirks of using EF lenses on a Sony Alpha body. Metabones has been an ever present stalwart in the big player camera/lens mis-match and, despite their best efforts, have always struggled with producing reliable auto focus.
This hasn’t been a huge problem with filmmakers, many of whom won’t ever have the need for this feature. But many will also like to cross over to photography from time to time, one of the features that was so liberating with the Canon 5D. A lack of auto focus in stills photography is of course a much bigger deal, especially with the release of more advanced systems introduced with mirrorless cameras such as the A7RII and A7SII.
The mis-match in Sony body/Canon lens compatibility has forced many into exploring the less nurtured, less developed, less exciting Sony E mount lens line. These of course make full use of the Alpha cameras’ auto focus abilities, particularly the aforementioned continuous modes in newer bodies.
The firmware update that Metabones just released for its EF-E Smart Adapter MARK IV and EF-E Speed Booster ULTRA closes the gap dramatically between native E mount and Canon EF lenses.
With Metabones firmware V0.50, auto focus on an EF lens is much improved, aperture changes are smoother (still clicky, but improved) and continuous auto focus is now enabled on later compatible bodies.
Here’s some press:
Release date: 23 Jun 2016
Benefits and improvements:
Wide-open button functionality is removed on A7 series and A6300. The button of the adapter is now dedicated to the function of the customisable Focus Hold button on the A7 series and A6300.
“Advanced” mode is now the default operating mode. (Note: you may permanently change the default to “Green” mode, by holding down the button on the adapter while attaching to an already-on camera, and then, without ever releasing the button, turn off the camera’s power. Changing the default back to “Advanced” mode using the same procedure.)
“Native” autofocus features including DMF, Eye-AF and fast CDAF on all E-mount cameras (see Press Release for details).
Support for smooth iris feature of the latest Canon and Tamron SP lenses.
PDAF improvement for Canon EF 50/1.4 USM and some other large aperture fixed focal length lenses.
Descriptive lens name on EXIF LensModel tag (except on older cameras and Metabones Mark I, Mark II, Mark III and the original Speed Booster). A compliant utility such as exiftool is required. Sony Image Data Converter does NOT display the LensModel tag.
Fixed a focus parking issue after an exposure with some older Canon lenses.
I’ve installed Metabones Firmware 0.50 on my EF-E Smart Adaptor and can confirm the improvements. As an owner of the Zeiss 25mm Batis lens, I’m fairly familiar with the continuous focus modes available on the A7R II and A7S II. Users of the Sony Alpha II/Metabones/EF combo can now look forward – under certain circumstances – to a useable focus mode when shooting video, featuring face detection, zonal monitoring, with speed and sensitivity modes.
Speaking from a wealth of experience with Canon’s Dual Pixel Auto Focus, the Sony equivalent is more complicated, less reactive and less subtle, but it does the job on wide focal lengths stopped down.
Whilst auto focus is vastly improved, initial experience suggests it’s not quite up to native E mount speeds, but it’s certainly getting there.
You can download firmware update V0.50 now from here.

Sonyalpharumors has brought to light a source claiming to have unlocked the recording limit on Sony Alpha, RX and NEX cameras as well as lifting the language menu fix on region bound cameras, such as bodies bought in Japan. Here’s some information about this latest Sony Alpha Hack—and a warning to those of you that are tempted to try it.
Sony Alpha hack – proceed with caution
It seems that user ma1co on Personal View has dabbled in Sony hacking in the past, now claiming this practice has been put to good use in removing the 30minute recording limit of Sony cameras like the A7S, A7R, RX100, and A6300.
It’s done by reverse engineering the Play Memories app, meaning any camera that utilizes the Sony software can benefit from this hack. Click here to see the full list of compatible camera bodies, but in a nutshell, the A7S, A7R II & IIs, as well as the A6300 and RX bodies, are all in there.
Some filmmakers will be well acquainted with hacking cameras; Magic Lantern was (and still is) a tremendous asset to Canon DSLRs, packing a shed load of extra features into the otherwise outdated camera bodies, not to mention the Panasonic GH2 hack for increased bit rate recording.
This should be taken with a caution, however. Firstly, we have no first-hand confirmation that this hack works, there is simply a sufficient amount of feedback on the Personal View forums for us to think it’s worth notifying you, the readers (including the above picture) as this could develop into something great.*
*Update – I’ve had a good body of users & peers come forward to confirm that this does in fact work.
Secondly, hacking any camera comes with significant risk and voids any manufacturers warranty. This applies to the Sony Alpha Hack, too. What works for one camera line and their respect hacker is completely different to another (particularly a brand new source).
And lastly is a warning on the actual feature itself. The recording limit is in place to allow the Sony cameras to fall into a different, cheaper tax band, but many users will know that bodies like the A7R II can suffer badly from overheating and will shut down long before the recording limit is reached.
As an occasional video user of the Sony Alpha cameras in B/C/D unit form, I rarely record clips on the A7R II or A7S II longer than a minute or two, therefore, won’t have any use for the Sony Alpha hack in its current state.
However if there is anyone out there that is in a position to test out the hack, do let us know how you get on.
This is certainly something to keep an eye on, with the potential of other features opening up as the hack develops.
Via Sonyalpharumors

To say that the Sony a7 series of mirrorless cameras has been popular among videographers is an understatement. A large number of filmmakers have been using these cameras and some them make good use of the external recording feature to get even higher resolutions and data rates.
Unfortunately, there has been a pitfall plaguing the cameras for a while now. Of course, I’m talking about the crushed blacks and highlights on external recordings. This article will take a deeper look at why this phenomenon appears and how to resolve it. Or at least, how to work around it. [UPDATE: We have developed a LUT that fixes it.]
Crushed Blacks on External Recordings
It is no wonder that external recording is so popular on the Sony a7S. With the assistance of an external disk recorder, such as the Atomos Shogun, the possible resolution increases from 1080p to 4K and filmmakers can tap into high-quality codecs such as ProRes or DNxHD (as opposed to Sony’s H.264 derivative, XAVC).
Sadly, when using S-log2 Gamma Space, crushed blacks and skimmed highlights can make a surprise appearance at the editing desk. A good portion of the lows appear cut off, and some highlight information tends to be lost, too. In S-log3 only the blacks are affected (as the video output only goes as high as 94%). The contrast is raised and, in essence, the whole purpose of S-log is defeated. This leads to images that were perfectly fine during shooting becoming broken.
This phenomenon has been the main reason that some people have avoided using external recorders with the Sony a7S, a7S II, and a7R II cameras.
What causes the Crushed Blacks Phenomena?
Let’s face it. We’re often quick to blame manufacturers when things like this crop up. In this case, however, it turns out the culprit isn’t Sony. After digging deeper into the matter, we discovered that the reason we lose image information on external recordings is that the NLE is incorrectly interpreting the data it is given—it doesn’t realise that we’re using the higher bandwidth Gamma (S-log2/S-log3). In our case, the NLE in question is Adobe Premier Pro CC 2015.
Wrong display range settings of the video data cut off image information.
The image above is a waveform representation (captured in S-log2 with DaVinci Resolve) of a recording of an OEFC chart. In the camera’s S-log2 & S-log3 Gamma Setting, apparently data from 0 to 1023 is used for each channel. However, when no further metadata is embedded in the recordings, all NLE’s, including DaVinci Resolve, automatically interpret the footage recorded on external recorders with video levels from 64 to 960. This cuts off some information in both the blacks and the highlights. The orange arrows point out where that happens.
When you record in-camera (XAVC, for example), then metadata is written directly to the file to tell your NLE to use 0 – 1023 (If you’re working in 10bit). On external recordings, however, this metadata cannot be transferred via the HDMI cable thus either the recorder would have to set that metadata flag (which it probably doesn’t), or it has to be set in your NLE manually.
The Fix
[UPDATE:] We have developed a custom LUT that fixes this problem either in post, or directly on a recorder, so you have 0 rendering time and 0 quality loss. Get the LUT by clicking the button below, or read all about it here.
The Workaround
Unfortunately in the NLE’s that many of us use (Adobe Premiere Pro CC 2015 & Final Cut Pro X) there isn’t an option to manually set the data levels. The NLE will always automatically interpret the footage with levels from 64 to 960 (or 16-240 in 8bit) and this will cut information, leading to crushed blacks and skimmed highlights and there is no way to change that yet.
To correctly interpret externally recorded footage you will either have to switch to another NLE that lets you set this manually, or go through DaVinci Resolve, which allows you to re-interpret the footage. Fortunately, DaVinci Resolve is a free download.
[UPDATE]: Thanks to xdcam-user we realized there is a workaround directly in Premiere.
Adobe Premiere Pro CC
To get your video levels back to include the full range of your external Slog recordings do the following in Adobe Premiere Pro CC.
After importing your footage to the timeline:
Apply the effect “Fast Color Corrector” to your footage.
In the effects tab on the “Fast Color Corrector” effect change your “Output Black” to 16 and your “Output White” to 235.
Make sure that the “Fast Color Corrector” is always the first effect in your filter-stack (before Lumetri for example), otherwise you will get the wrong results.
Your footage now uses the full range right within Premiere. Other “Levels” filters will not get your levels back by the way.
DaVinci Resolve
If you’re using an externally recorded clip from an a7 series camera, then go to the EDIT tab in DaVinci Resolve and right-click on the clip(s) you are importing in your library window. On the drop-down select “clip attributes.”
A window will open that lets you choose either “Auto”, “Data Levels” or “Video Levels”. By default this is set to “Auto”, but we want to select “Data Levels 0 – 1023” to properly display our S-log2 / S-log3 footage.
After all of your clips are set to “Data Levels”, drag them to the timeline where you will then be able to color the clips to your liking—with all information in the blacks and highlights. Once this is done, go to the DELIVER tab in DaVinci Resolve to export the clips.
Note that the above tip only applies to external recordings! When handling internally recorded files (XAVC) the levels should always be left to “auto”.
Adobe Premiere After Effects CC
[Update: Here’s the fix for After Effects]
In After Effects the fix is a bit more tricky. First you have to open “Project Settings…” which can be accessed by right-clicking the small menu box on the project tab.
In the window that opens you have to change your project’s Color Settings.
Click the “Depth” dropdown and select “32 bits per channel (float)”. Then click “Ok”.
Now you have to apply the “Levels” effect to your footage. It can be found under Effects –> Color Correction –> Levels.
In the Effect Controls tab under “Levels” you can now set your ouput levels. Set Output Black to “0,0627” and Output White to “0,9255”. Those are the values that correspond to 16-235 in the 32-bit space.
Now your footage includes all data levels of Slog.
Besides being a more complicated workaround the real downside of this method is that it will considerably slow down your rendering speed.
Final Cut Pro X
Unfortunately Final Cut Pro X seems to handle the video range incorrectly as well and I have not found a fix. Although the xdcam-user article claims that Final Cut X handles superwhites correctly, this was not the case in my tests. To prepare externally recorded Slog footage for a correct grade in Final Cut X you will probably have to go through DaVinci first, or simply switch to Premiere Pro, like I did a while ago. I know many people out there love Final Cut X, so no offence please.
Future Solutions?
Of course, it would be an easy fix if Adobe and Apple would just give us an option to use the full range of levels in Premiere / After Effects & Final Cut Pro — just like in DaVinci Resolve. Apparently some users have been aware of this issue for a while, but so far there has been no direct implementation of such feature. We can only hope that this article will add some pressure.
If you are affected by this, you can help and let the software companies know by leaving a comment underneath and fill out the feature request form.
For Adobe Premiere Pro CC: Adobe feature request form.
For Adobe After Effects CC: Adobe feature request form.
For Apple Final Cut X: Apple feature request form.
[UPDATE:] We have developed a custom LUT that fixes this problem either in post, or directly on a recorder, so you have 0 rendering time and 0 quality loss. Get the LUT by clicking the button below, or read all about it here.